Battery charger for portable devices and related methods

ABSTRACT

A battery charger may include a charger connector to be coupled to a corresponding device connector of a portable device including a rechargeable battery. The battery charger may also include a charging circuit connected to the charger connector, and a controller connected to the charger connector and the charging circuit. The controller may be for causing a portable device connected to the charger connector to identify its corresponding portable device type and its corresponding rechargeable battery type from among a plurality of different portable device types and different battery types, and for causing the charging circuit to charge the rechargeable battery based thereon.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 12/356,944 filed Jan. 21,2009 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,884,570, which, in turn, is a continuation ofSer. No. 11/763,214 filed Jun. 14, 2007 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,489,102issued Feb. 10, 2009, which, in turn, is a continuation of Ser. No.10/776,426 filed Feb. 11, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,271,568 issued Sep.18, 2007, all of which are hereby incorporated herein in theirentireties by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of battery-powered portabledevices, and, more particularly, to battery chargers for such portabledevices and related methods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rechargeable batteries are used in a wide variety of portable devicessuch as laptop computers, cellular telephones, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), etc. With the rapid increase in portable devicetechnology, it is fairly common for users to replace their portabledevices at frequent intervals. However, users may be required to alsopurchase new battery chargers when upgrading portable devices, becauseof different connector types or battery types used for differentportable devices.

In some cases, the use of standardized interfaces or connectors forportable devices allows a single battery charger to be used for chargingdifferent portable devices. For example, many portable devices nowsupport the universal serial bus (USB) protocol, and include one or moreUSB connectors which allow them to be connected to personal computers(PCs), etc. Further details regarding the USB protocol and connectorsmay be found in the Universal Serial Bus Specification, Revision 2.0,Apr. 27, 2000, published by USB Implementers Forum, Inc., which ishereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Thus, a chargerhaving a USB connector could potentially be used to charge differentportable USB devices.

An example of such a charger is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,184,652 toYang. This patent is directed to a mobile phone battery charger with aUSB interface that includes a USB compatible plug, a DC converter, and amobile phone battery charging plug. The USB compatible plug is insertedinto a corresponding USB connector of a computer and receives electricalpower therefrom. The DC converter converts the electrical power into thenecessary charging voltage, which is provided to the mobile phone by thebattery charging plug. The battery charger may also detect the type ofmobile phone battery (e.g., Li or Ni—MH) and the quantity of electricityor charge stored in the battery. The patent states that a useraccordingly need not purchase different kinds of chargers for differentbattery types.

Another example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,362,610 to Yang. Moreparticularly, this patent discloses a universal USB power supply unitwhich includes a USB port connector and a charging connector. The USBport connector plugs into the jack of the USB port, while the chargingconnector plugs into the jack of an electronic product to be charged.The current flowing into the USB port connector will then pass throughan automatic voltage regulator. Disposed within a housing of theautomatic voltage regulator is a DC voltage transformer which transformsthe DC voltage (e.g., 5 V) coming from the USB port to the requisitevoltage supplied to a power/signal connecting jack. A feedback controlvoltage output circuit compares the feedback voltage signal of thepower/signal connecting jack and enables the DC voltage transformer tooutput a preset voltage. The charging connector is fitted with a powercord which includes a power/signal connector to fit the power/signalconnecting jack. Moreover, a voltage parameter associated with theparticular electronic device is preset within the charging connectorusing a variable resistor.

Despite the advantages of such chargers, problems may still arise whendifferent types of batteries are interchanged in different portabledevices. That is, different rechargeable batteries may have differentcharging parameters (e.g., voltage rating, current rating, etc.). Yet,these parameters may not always match with those of a given portabledevice. Accordingly, using chargers such as those described above wherethe battery and device charging parameters are not carefully matchedcould result in damage to the device and/or battery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of thepresent invention to provide a battery charger that may be used withnumerous types of portable devices and associated batteries, and yetwhich may account for differences between the charging parametersthereof.

This and other objects, features, and advantages in accordance with thepresent invention are provided by a battery charger which may include acharger connector to be coupled to a corresponding device connector of aportable device including a rechargeable battery. The portable deviceand rechargeable battery may each respectively have a portable devicetype and a rechargeable battery type associated therewith from among aplurality of different portable device types and different batterytypes. The battery charger may also include a charging circuit connectedto the charger connector, and a controller connected to the chargerconnector and the charging circuit. More particularly, the controllermay be for causing a portable device connected to the charger connectorto identify its corresponding portable device type and its correspondingrechargeable battery type, and cause the charging circuit to charge therechargeable battery based thereon.

More particularly, different portable device types may have one or moredifferent portable device charging parameters, and different batterytypes may similarly have one or more different battery chargingparameters. For example, different types of batteries may have differentvoltage and/or current limits than one another, and different devicesmay similarly have different voltage and/or current limits as well. Assuch, the controller may advantageously select one or more actualcharging parameters to charge the rechargeable battery based upon acomparison of the different portable device and battery chargingparameters to avoid damaging one or the other.

By way of example, a particular rechargeable battery may have a highervoltage and/or current limit associated therewith than the portabledevice it is carried by. In such case, charging the battery at itshighest rated voltage/current level could cause damage to the portabledevice. Accordingly, the controller may select the actual chargingparameter(s) based upon a limiting one of the different portable deviceand battery charging parameters. Thus, the controller may prevent thebattery from being charged using a charging parameter that could damageeither the portable device or the battery.

Moreover, the controller may also cause the portable device to identifya battery charge level of the rechargeable battery. Accordingly, thecontroller may further select the actual charging parameter(s) basedupon the battery charge level. Thus, for example, the controller mayselect an actual charging parameter such as charging time based upon thecharge level of the battery and a maximum charging time for the battery.

The battery charger may further include one or more memories connectedto the controller for storing the different portable device/batterycharging parameters. That is, the memory may store the appropriatedevice and battery charging parameters for each type of portable deviceand rechargeable battery to be used with the battery charger. Yet, toallow for use of the charger with future generations of portable devicesand batteries, the controller may advantageously enter a learning modefor learning the at least one different portable device or batterycharging parameter.

More specifically, the controller may enter the learning mode uponreceiving a learning mode signal from the portable device. For, example,if a portable device of an unknown device type, or which has an unknownbattery type, is connected to the charger connector, the controller mayprovide an error signal to the portable device based thereon. Theportable device may then provide the learning mode signal to thecontroller and communicate the appropriate charging parameter(s) theretoonce the controller enters the learning mode. As such, the newly learnedcharging parameter(s) may advantageously be stored in the memory andused upon future connections of the device and/or battery type to thebattery charger.

Additionally, the charger connector may also carry communicationssignals between the controller and a host device (e.g., a computer)connected thereto. More particularly, the communications signals mayrelate to at least one charging parameter. That is, the controller mayadvantageously learn charging parameters from the host device as wellthe portable device. Furthermore, in some embodiments the chargerconnector may also carry communications signals between the portabledevice and the host device. Thus, the battery charger may provide adocking station between the portable device and the host device. Thisarrangement may be particularly advantageous for portable devices suchas personal digital assistants (PDAs) which not only have portablebatteries, but which frequently are also used to synchronize calendar,contact, email, and other data with a computer.

The controller may also monitor the charging circuit to detect acharging error during charging of the rechargeable battery. By way ofexample, such charging errors may include over or undervoltageconditions, over or, undercurrent conditions, excessive temperatures,exceeding a maximum charging time, etc. The battery charger may alsoinclude an indicator connected to the controller for providing an errorindication upon detecting the charging error. For example, the errorindicator could be an LED or LCD display. Also, the charger connectormay be a universal serial bus (USB) connector, for example.

A battery charging system in accordance with the invention may include aportable device including a device connector and a rechargeable battery.The system may also include a battery charger for the portable device,such as the one described briefly above.

A battery charging method aspect of the invention for a rechargeablebattery carried by a portable device may include coupling a deviceconnector of the portable device to a corresponding charger connector,and connecting a charging circuit to the charger connector. The methodmay further include causing the portable device to identify itscorresponding portable device type and its corresponding rechargeablebattery type via the charger connector from among a plurality ofdifferent portable device types and different battery types, and causingthe charging circuit to charge the rechargeable battery based thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is schematic block diagram of a battery charging system inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a more detailed schematic block diagram of an embodiment ofthe battery charger illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a battery charging method inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for identifying thebattery charger to the portable device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary portable device foruse with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Likenumbers refer to like elements throughout.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a battery charging system 20 includes aportable device 21 including a rechargeable battery 22 carried thereby,and a battery charger 23 for charging the rechargeable battery. Anexemplary portable device suitable for use with the present invention isdescribed in the example below with reference to FIG. 5. The charger 23illustratively includes a charger connector 24 to be coupled to acorresponding device connector 25 of the portable device 21. The batterycharger 23 also illustratively includes a charging circuit 26 connectedto the charger connector 24, and a controller 27 connected to thecharger connector and the charging circuit.

By way of example, the portable device 21 could be any one of a laptopcomputer, personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile telephone, or otherportable device having a rechargeable battery. More particularly, thebattery charger 23 may advantageously be used with numerous types ofportable devices and rechargeable batteries as well, as will bedescribed further below. Generally speaking, the portable device 21 willinclude control circuitry for performing its various device functions,such as the microprocessor 30. Moreover, many portable devices alsoinclude interface circuitry 31 for interfacing the microprocessor 21with a data bus or cable, for example, that connects the portable devicewith a host device (e.g., a computer).

By way of example, the portable device 21 may be a USB compatibledevice, and the device connector 25 a USB connector. In this case, theinterface circuitry 31 may perform a variety of operations such asconnecting high or low logic signals to the differential data lines D+and D− during enumeration with a host device, as will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art. Moreover, the interface circuitry 31 may alsoperform signal buffering as well as signal translation for convertingdifferential signals to data signals recognizable by the microprocessor30, and vice-versa. The interface circuitry 31 may also connect the USBvoltage references V_(BUS) and GND from the host device to theappropriate components in the portable device 21 (e.g., the rechargeablebattery 22 when the portable device is in a charging mode). As will bereadily appreciated by those skilled in the art, different interface andcontrol circuitry configurations may be used for the portable device 21depending upon the given application.

For clarity of understanding, the present discussion will refer to thecase in which the battery charger 23 is for charging portable deviceswhich operate in accordance with the USB protocol and thus include a USBconnector 25, as described above. However, it will be understood bythose of skill in the art that the battery charger 23 may be used withnumerous types of devices and operational protocols, such as those usingserial or parallel communications interfaces, etc. Moreover, it shouldalso be noted that in some embodiments the battery charger 23 mayinclude multiple connectors 24 for different types of device connectors25. Thus, for example, the battery charger 23 could be used to chargeboth USB devices and those which communicate using a serial (or other)communications interface.

An exemplary embodiment of the battery charger 23 for USB devices andoperation thereof will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.More particularly, beginning at Block 40, upon connection of the deviceconnector 25 to the charger connector 24, the controller 27 causes theportable device 21 (i.e., the microprocessor 30) to identify itscorresponding portable device type and its corresponding rechargeablebattery type from among a plurality of different portable device typesand different battery types, at Block 41. The device type may be storedas a device identification (ID) in a non-volatile memory of the portabledevice 21 (e.g., an EEPROM), and the battery type may be identified bythe microprocessor 30 from an identification circuit carried by thebattery 22, for example.

It should be noted that device and battery “types” may vary dependingupon a given implementation of the present invention. For example, insome applications, device/battery types may be respective models ofportable devices/batteries. However, in other applications, thedevice/battery types may correspond to a particular series of portabledevices/batteries. For example, a manufacturer may make one baseportable device but put different connectors thereon for differentapplications. As such, the base device may have the same chargingparameters, but it will be assigned a different model number within aseries (e.g., the 6000 series) depending upon the particular connectorused therewith. Thus, in such cases the device type would include all ofthe devices within the given series. Similarly, device/battery typecould also correspond to the manufacturer thereof in other applications(i.e., all devices by a particular manufacturer are of the same devicetype).

Various approaches may be used for causing the portable device 21 toidentify its battery and device types. One particularly advantageousapproach for USB compatible devices is for the controller 27 toinitially place a logic high signal on both of the differential D+ andD− data lines when the connectors 24, 25 are first connected. This is anotherwise invalid USB enumeration state, but for an appropriatelyconfigured portable device 21 this would indicate that the device hasbeen connected to the battery charger 23. As such, the portable device21 may then suspend the normal USB enumeration operations it wouldotherwise use if connecting to a host device, for example, and insteadenter a charging mode.

An exemplary implementation of this approach will now be described ingreater detail. When the battery charger 23 is connected to the portabledevice 21, the controller 27 preferably provides an identificationsignal to the portable device to notify the portable device that it isconnected to a power source that is not subject to the power limitsimposed by the USB specification. Preferably, the portable device 21 isprogrammed to recognize the identification signal, and it thereforerecognizes that an identification signal has been transmitted by thecontroller 27. After recognizing a valid identification signal, theportable device 21 is then ready to draw power from the charger 23without performing USB enumeration.

The detection of the identification signal may be accomplished using avariety of methods. For example, the microprocessor 30 may detect theidentification signal by detecting the presence of an abnormal data linecondition at the USB port 25, for example. As noted above, one exemplaryidentification signal results from the application of voltage signalsgreater than two volts to both the D+ and D− lines by the controller 27.The foregoing will be further understood with reference to FIG. 4.

Beginning at Block 220, the portable device 21 detects the presence of avoltage on the Vbus line of the USB connector 25, at Block 210. Themobile device 21 then checks the state of the D+ and D− lines, at Block220. The D+ and D− lines are compared to a 2V reference, for example.The controller 27 of the charger 23 may apply a logic high signal, suchas +5V reference, to both the D+ and D− lines. If the voltages on boththe D+ and D− lines are greater than 2V, then the portable device 21determines that it is not connected to a typical USB host or hub, andthat the charger 23 has instead been detected (Block 230). The portabledevice 21 is then ready to charge the battery or otherwise use powerprovided via the Vbus and Gnd lines (Block 260) without waiting forenumeration, and without being limited by the power restrictions imposedby the USB specification, as will be appreciated by those skilled in theart.

It should be noted that the charger 23 may also serve as an interface toa host device or hub (e.g., a personal computer (PC)) as well as acharging station in some embodiments. In this case, the portable device21 may still go through the enumeration process. More particularly, ifthe portable device 21 detects the presence of a voltage on the Vbusline (meaning the charger 23 is connected to the host device) and alsodetermines that the voltages on both the D+ and D− lines are not greaterthan 2V (Block 220), then the portable device determines that a USB hostor hub has been detected (Block 240). A typical USB host or hub weaklyholds its D+ and D− lines at zero volts when it is not connected toanother device. The portable device 21 may then signal the USB host orhub to initiate the enumeration process (Block 250) and can use powerprovided via the Vbus and Gnd lines (Block 260) in accordance with thepower limits imposed by the USB specification and/or communicate withthe host device, thus concluding the illustrated method (Block 270).

Of course, battery charging could also be performed at this point, butit would be subject to the power restrictions imposed by the USBspecification, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. Theenumeration process is typically initiated after the portable device 21applies approximately zero volts to the D− line and approximately 5V tothe D+ line to inform the host of the portable device's presence andcommunication speed, as will also be appreciated by those skilled in theart. It should be noted that if no USB host is present, the portabledevice 21 may disable its typical USB functions in some embodiments, ifdesired.

Different portable device types will typically have one or moredifferent portable device charging parameters, and different batterytypes may similarly have one or more different battery chargingparameters. Table 1 provides exemplary charging parameters for twodifferent types of USB compatible PDAs, while Table 2 provides exemplarycharging parameters for two different types of PDA batteries.

TABLE 1 Exemplary Device Charging Parameters Device Charging ParameterDevice Type #1 Device Type #2 Overvoltage limit (V) 6.0 5.25Undervoltage limit (V) 4.0 4.8 Overcurrent limit (mA) 800 400 Constantcurrent (mA) 750 350 Battery full (mA) 40 20 Battery full (V) 4.15 4.22

TABLE 2 Exemplary Battery Charging Parameters Battery Charging ParameterBattery Type #1 Battery Type #2 Max. Charge time (Hours) 4.0 8.0 BatteryCapacity (mAh) 1000 2000

As may be seen from the tables, device type #1 can tolerate voltages ashigh as 6.0 V or as low as 4.0 V. That is, voltages outside this rangecould potentially damage the interface circuitry 31, as well as othercomponents of the portable device 21, for example. Yet, device type #2could be damaged by voltages outside of the range from 4.8 to 5.25 V.There is also a significant overcurrent limit disparity between devicetypes #1 and #2 (i.e., 800 mA vs. 400 mA).

Accordingly, a charger set up to charge a portable device of type #1could cause significant damage to a portable device of type #2 byapplying current/voltage outside of the above-noted ranges. For example,exceeding the maximum battery charge current could cause damage to thebattery. This may be particularly problematic where both portable devicetypes use the same type of device connector (e.g., a USB connector).That is, a user may assume that because the device connecter matchesthat of the charger it is safe to use the charger, which may not betrue.

Moreover, even if a charger detects the appropriate voltage level forcharging a particular battery, as with the prior art discussed above, aparticular battery may support voltage or current levels inside theacceptable ranges for device type #1, but outside those for device type#2, for example. Thus, while the same battery type may fit in bothdevice types and have a suitable operating voltage for both, chargingthe battery at or near its maximum charge limits could exceed theacceptable range for device type #2, as will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art. Of course, the opposite is also true, namely that agiven portable device could support charging parameters that coulddamage a particular battery type.

The battery charger 23 illustratively includes one or more memories 32connected to the controller 27 for storing different portabledevice/battery charging parameters. That is, the memory 32 stores theappropriate device and battery charging parameters for each type ofportable device and rechargeable battery 22 to be used with the batterycharger 23, which may be stored based upon respective device and batteryIDs. By way of example, different sets of charging parameters may bestored in the memory during manufacture of the charger 23 for eachdevice/battery type to be used with the charger. To this end, the memory32 may be an EEPROM, for example, which would also advantageously allowfor new charging parameters to later be stored therein, as will bediscussed further below. Of course, other non-volatile (or evenvolatile) memories could be used as well.

The charger 23 checks to see whether the device and battery types areknown based upon the device and battery IDs returned by the portabledevice, at Block 42. If so, the controller provides an error signal tothe portable device 21, at Block 43, letting it know that it (or thebattery 22) is unknown and that cannot therefore cannot be performed.

In some embodiments, the battery charger 23 may further include anindicator 33 connected to the controller 27, which may be used forproviding an error indication upon detection of an unknowndevice/battery type. Of course, if the portable device 23 includes itsown indicator or display (e.g., a laptop, PDA, cell phone, etc.), suchan error indication may instead (or in addition) be provided by thedevice indicator (not shown). By way of example, the indicator 33 may bean LED or LCD indicator, although other suitable indicators could alsobe used, such as audible indicators.

Even if a device or battery type is unknown to the controller 27, it mayadvantageously learn or download the appropriate charging parameters forthe device/battery. This allows the charger 23 to be used with futuregenerations or models of devices/batteries that are not available whenthe battery charger 23 is manufactured, for example.

More specifically, the controller 27 may enter a learning mode forlearning the new device/battery parameters upon receiving a learningmode signal from the portable device 21, at Block 44. For example, theportable device 21 may store its own charging parameters and, responsiveto receiving an unknown device error signal from the controller 27, senda designated learning mode signal that the battery charger 23 willrecognize as such. The charging parameters for the rechargeable battery22 may be stored in its identification circuit, for example.

Once the controller 27 enters the learning mode, the microprocessor 30of the portable device 21 then communicates the appropriate chargingparameters to the controller, which it then stores in the memory 32, atBlock 45. The newly learned charging parameters are then available foruse in charging the device and/or battery type, and these device typeswill be recognized by the controller 27 thereafter. If a learning modesignal is not received, the battery charger 23 will stop the chargingprocess (Block 52).

If the device and battery types are recognized by the controller 27, itthen selects actual charging parameters for charging the rechargeablebattery 22 based upon a comparison of the different charging parametersfor the portable device 21 and battery 22, at Block 46. Moreparticularly, the controller 27 may select the actual chargingparameters based upon a limiting one (or ones) of the different portabledevice an battery charging parameters, at Block 46.

Using the above exemplary charging parameters from Tables 1 and 2, forexample, if a device of type #2 with a battery of type #1 is beingcharged, the controller 27 may limit the charging time to four hours,even if the battery voltage has not reached the maximum charge level of4.22 V for the device. Similarly, the controller 27 may also limit thecharging current to 400 mA or charging voltage to within the 4.8-5.25 Vrange, even though the battery type may support other values. Variousother selections of limiting charging parameters are possible, as willbe readily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon the examplesprovided herein.

Once the actual charging parameters are established, the charger 23 thencauses the charging circuit 26 to charge the battery 22 in accordancewith these actual charging parameters, at Block 47. The charging circuit26 may include a power supply or transformer for converting power fromeither an AC or DC source to the appropriate charging voltage based uponthe actual charging parameters. Of course, the charging circuit 26 neednot include a power supply/transformer in all embodiments. For example,in some applications the charging circuit 26 may receive power (i.e., 5V) from the host device via the V_(BUS) line. Moreover, the power supplymay be carried in a different housing than the controller 27, forexample, such as in the case of a wall plug transformer. Variousconfigurations of the charging circuitry 26 will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art based upon a given application.

The controller 27 may also cause the portable device 21 to identify abattery charge level of the battery 22 and use this information inestablishing the actual charging parameters. For example, the batterycharge level may be communicated to the controller 27 by themicroprocessor 30 along with the portable device and battery types(Block 41). The battery charge level may also be sent to the controller27 during charging, if desired, to help determine when the battery 22has reached its full charge. This could be done automatically by themicroprocessor 30 at predetermined intervals, or upon request by thecontroller 27, for example. The controller 27 may also determine whenthe battery 22 has been fully charged based upon a charging parameter,e.g., a steady state current value which indicates when a battery hasbeen completely charged, for example.

In addition, the controller 27 may also monitor the charging circuit 26to detect a charging error during charging of the battery 22, at Block50. By way of example, such charging errors may include over orundervoltage conditions, over or undercurrent conditions, excessivetemperatures, etc. Upon detecting such an error, the controller 27 mayprovide an error indication via the indicator 33 (and/or an indicator ofthe portable device 21) upon detecting a charging error. The controller27 may also take corrective action responsive to the error condition,such as limiting the charging voltage or current, or terminatingcharging, as illustratively shown at Block 52. If no such error isdetected, then charging continues until a predetermined event occurs,such as a maximum charging time or charge level being reached, at Block53.

In accordance with another advantageous aspect of the invention, thecharger connector 24 may also carry communications signals between thecontroller 27 and the host device. For example, the controller 27 maycommunicate with the host device over the same differential signal linesD+, D− connected to the charger connector 24. In particular, thecommunications signals may relate to one or more charging parameters.That is, the controller 27 may download charging parameters for unknowndevice/battery types from the host device instead of, or in addition to,downloading charging parameters from portable devices themselves.

Of course, this configuration also allows the charger connector 24 tocarry communications signals between the portable device 21 and the hostdevice. In other words, the battery charger 23 may thus be used as adocking station for allowing the portable device 21 to communicate withthe host device while it is being charged. This arrangement may beparticularly advantageous for portable devices such as PDAs. This isbecause PDAs not only have portable batteries which typically requireregular re-charging, but they also typically need to synchronizecalendar, contact, email, and other data with a computer, as will beappreciated by those of skill in the art.

A battery charging method aspect of the invention for a rechargeablebattery 22 carried by a portable device 21 includes coupling a deviceconnector 25 of the portable device to a corresponding charger connector24, and connecting a charging circuit 26 to the charger connector. Themethod may further include causing the portable device 21 to identifyits corresponding portable device type and its correspondingrechargeable battery type from among a plurality of different portabledevice types and different battery types, and causing the chargingcircuit 26 to charge the rechargeable battery 22 based thereon, aspreviously described above. Additional method aspects will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art based upon the foregoingdescription and will therefore not be discussed further herein.

Example

Turning now to FIG. 5, an exemplary portable or mobile device 1000illustratively includes a housing 1200, a keyboard 1400 and an outputdevice 1600. The output device shown is a display 1600, which ispreferably a full graphic LCD. Other types of output devices mayalternatively be utilized. A processing device 1800 is contained withinthe housing 1200 and is coupled between the keyboard 1400 and thedisplay 1600. The processing device 1800 controls the operation of thedisplay 1600, as well as the overall operation of the mobile device1000, in response to actuation of keys on the keyboard 1400 by the user.

The housing 1200 may be elongated vertically, or may take on other sizesand shapes (including clamshell housing structures). The keyboard mayinclude a mode selection key, or other hardware or software forswitching between text entry and telephony entry.

In addition to the processing device 1800, other parts of the mobiledevice 1000 are shown schematically in FIG. 5. These include acommunications subsystem 1001; a short-range communications subsystem1020; the keyboard 1400 and the display 1600, along with otherinput/output devices 1060, 1080, 1100 and 1120; as well as memorydevices 1160, 1180 and various other device subsystems 1201. The mobiledevice 1000 is preferably a two-way RF communications device havingvoice and data communications capabilities. In addition, the mobiledevice 1000 preferably has the capability to communicate with othercomputer systems via the Internet.

Operating system software executed by the processing device 1800 ispreferably stored in a persistent store, such as the flash memory 1160,but may be stored in other types of memory devices, such as a read onlymemory (ROM) or similar storage element. In addition, system software,specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarilyloaded into a volatile store, such as the random access memory (RAM)1180. Communications signals received by the mobile device may also bestored in the RAM 1180.

The processing device 1800, in addition to its operating systemfunctions, enables execution of software applications 1300A-1300N on thedevice 1000. A predetermined set of applications that control basicdevice operations, such as data and voice communications 1300A and1300B, may be installed on the device 1000 during manufacture. Inaddition, a personal information manager (PIM) application may beinstalled during manufacture. The PIM is preferably capable oforganizing and managing data items, such as e-mail, calendar events,voice mails, appointments, and task items. The PIM application is alsopreferably capable of sending and receiving data items via a wirelessnetwork 1401. Preferably, the PIM data items are seamlessly integrated,synchronized and updated via the wireless network 1401 with the deviceuser's corresponding data items stored or associated with a hostcomputer system.

Communication functions, including data and voice communications, areperformed through the communications subsystem 1001, and possiblythrough the short-range communications subsystem. The communicationssubsystem 1001 includes a receiver 1500, a transmitter 1520, and one ormore antennas 1540 and 1560. In addition, the communications subsystem1001 also includes a processing module, such as a digital signalprocessor (DSP) 1580, and local oscillators (LOs) 1601. The specificdesign and implementation of the communications subsystem 1001 isdependent upon the communications network in which the mobile device1000 is intended to operate. For example, a mobile device 1000 mayinclude a communications subsystem 1001 designed to operate with theMobitex™, Data TAC™ or General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) mobile datacommunications networks, and also designed to operate with any of avariety of voice communications networks, such as AMPS, TDMA, CDMA, PCS,GSM, etc. Other types of data and voice networks, both separate andintegrated, may also be utilized with the mobile device 1000.

Network access requirements vary depending upon the type ofcommunication system. For example, in the Mobitex and DataTAC networks,mobile devices are registered on the network using a unique personalidentification number or PIN associated with each device. In GPRSnetworks, however, network access is associated with a subscriber oruser of a device. A GPRS device therefore requires a subscriber identitymodule, commonly referred to as a SIM card, in order to operate on aGPRS network.

When required network registration or activation procedures have beencompleted, the mobile device 1000 may send and receive communicationssignals over the communication network 1401. Signals received from thecommunications network 1401 by the antenna 1540 are routed to thereceiver 1500, which provides for signal amplification, frequency downconversion, filtering, channel selection, etc., and may also provideanalog to digital conversion. Analog-to-digital conversion of thereceived signal allows the DSP 1580 to perform more complexcommunications functions, such as demodulation and decoding. In asimilar manner, signals to be transmitted to the network 1401 areprocessed (e.g. modulated and encoded) by the DSP 1580 and are thenprovided to the transmitter 1520 for digital to analog conversion,frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification and transmission tothe communication network 1401 (or networks) via the antenna 1560.

In addition to processing communications signals, the DSP 1580 providesfor control of the receiver 1500 and the transmitter 1520. For example,gains applied to communications signals in the receiver 1500 andtransmitter 1520 may be adaptively controlled through automatic gaincontrol algorithms implemented in the DSP 1580.

In a data communications mode, a received signal, such as a text messageor web page download, is processed by the communications subsystem 1001and is input to the processing device 1800. The received signal is thenfurther processed by the processing device 1300 for an output to thedisplay 1600, or alternatively to some other auxiliary I/O device 1060.A device user may also compose data items, such as e-mail messages,using the keyboard 1400 and/or some other auxiliary I/O device 1060,such as a touchpad, a rocker switch, a thumb-wheel, or some other typeof input device. The composed data items may then be transmitted overthe communications network 1401 via the communications subsystem 1001.

In a voice communications mode, overall operation of the device issubstantially similar to the data communications mode, except thatreceived signals are output to a speaker 1100, and signals fortransmission are generated by a microphone 1120. Alternative voice oraudio I/O subsystems, such as a voice message recording subsystem, mayalso be implemented on the device 1000. In addition, the display 1600may also be utilized in voice communications mode, for example todisplay the identity of a calling party, the duration of a voice call,or other voice call related information.

The short-range communications subsystem enables communication betweenthe mobile device 1000 and other proximate systems or devices, whichneed not necessarily be similar devices. For example, the short-rangecommunications subsystem may include an infrared device and associatedcircuits and components, or a Bluetooth™ communications module toprovide for communication with similarly-enabled systems and devices.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come tothe mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachingspresented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings.Therefore, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited tothe specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications andembodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appendedclaims.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A battery charger for a portable wirelesscommunications device including a rechargeable battery and a wirelesscommunications transceiver coupled thereto, the portable wirelesscommunications device and rechargeable battery each respectively havinga portable device type and a rechargeable battery type associatedtherewith from among a plurality of different portable device types anddifferent rechargeable battery types, the battery charger comprising: acharging circuit; and a controller coupled to said charging circuit andconfigured to determine from the portable wireless communications devicethe portable device type and corresponding rechargeable battery type,and to cause said charging circuit to charge the rechargeable batterybased upon a limiting charging parameter between a charging parameterfor the portable device type and a corresponding charging parameter forthe rechargeable battery type.
 2. The battery charger of claim 1 whereinsaid controller is configured to enter a learning mode for learning thecharging parameter for the portable device type and the chargingparameter for the rechargeable battery type.
 3. The battery charger ofclaim 2 wherein said controller is configured to enter the learning modeupon receiving a learning mode signal from the portable device.
 4. Thebattery charger of claim 1 further comprising at least one memorycoupled to said controller and configured to store the limiting chargingparameter.
 5. The battery charger of claim 1 wherein the limitingcharging parameter comprises at least one of a current parameter, avoltage parameter, and a charging time.
 6. The battery charger of claim1 wherein said controller is configured to monitor said charging circuitto detect a charging error during charging of the rechargeable battery.7. The battery charger of claim 6 further comprising an indicatorcoupled to said controller and configured to provide an error indicationupon detecting the charging error.
 8. A battery charging systemcomprising: a portable wireless communications device comprising arechargeable battery and a wireless communications transceiver coupledthereto, the portable wireless communications device and rechargeablebattery each respectively having a portable device type and arechargeable battery type associated therewith from among a plurality ofdifferent portable device types and different rechargeable batterytypes; and a battery charger comprising a charging circuit, and acontroller coupled to said charging circuit and configured to determinefrom said portable wireless communications device the portable devicetype and the corresponding rechargeable battery type, and to cause saidcharging circuit to charge the rechargeable battery based upon alimiting charging parameter between a charging parameter for theportable device type and a corresponding charging parameter for therechargeable battery type.
 9. The system of claim 8 wherein saidcontroller is configured to enter a learning mode for learning thecharging parameter for the portable device type and the chargingparameter for the rechargeable battery type.
 10. The system of claim 9wherein said controller is configured to enter the learning mode uponreceiving a learning mode signal from said portable device.
 11. Thesystem of claim 8 further comprising at least one memory coupled to saidcontroller and configured to store the limiting charging parameter. 12.The system of claim 8 wherein the limiting charging parameter comprisesat least one of a current parameter, a voltage parameter, and a chargingtime.
 13. The system of claim 8 wherein said controller is configured tomonitor said charging circuit to detect a charging error during chargingof the rechargeable battery.
 14. The system of claim 13 furthercomprising an indicator coupled to said controller and configured toprovide an error indication upon detecting the charging error.
 15. Abattery charging method for a rechargeable battery carried by a portablewireless communications device, the portable wireless communicationsdevice and rechargeable battery each respectively having a portabledevice type and a rechargeable battery type associated therewith fromamong a plurality of different portable device types and differentbattery types, the method comprising: operatively coupling the portablewireless communications device to a battery charger comprising acharging circuit and a controller coupled thereto; and using thecontroller to determine from the portable wireless communications devicethe portable device type and corresponding rechargeable battery type,and to cause the charging circuit to charge the rechargeable batterybased upon a limiting charging parameter between a charging parameterfor the portable device type and a corresponding charging parameter forthe rechargeable battery type.
 16. The method of claim 15 furthercomprising entering the controller into a learning mode for learning thecharging parameter for the portable device type and the chargingparameter for the rechargeable battery type.
 17. The method of claim 16wherein entering the controller into the learning mode comprisesentering the controller into the learning mode upon receiving a learningmode signal from the portable device.
 18. The method of claim 15 furthercomprising storing the limiting charging parameter into at least onememory coupled to the controller.
 19. The method of claim 15 wherein thelimiting charging parameter comprises at least one of a currentparameter, a voltage parameter, and a charging time.
 20. The method ofclaim 15 further comprising using the controller to monitor the chargingcircuit to detect a charging error during charging of the rechargeablebattery.
 21. The method of claim 20 further comprising using anindicator coupled to the controller for providing an error indicationupon detecting the charging error.